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In the past, if you wanted to prove the viability of a platform for arbitrary programming, you got Doom (or maybe Zork)to run on it. This week, at least, it seems the officially inaccessible Flappy Bird is the programming proof-of-concept of the moment, with a new version of the game popping up for the 3DS though a downloadable programming app.

The unexpected port comes to Nintendo’s handheld via Petit Computer, a programming tool that has been available to 3DS and Nintendo DSi owners as an $8 download since the summer of 2012. The DSiWare utility uses a touchscreen interface to let users program games and apps in a modified version of BASIC, complete with simple drawing and animation tools. Creations can be shared locally via Wi-Fi or passed along via a series of data-encoded QR codes read by the portable's rear camera.

A coder going by the handle Bluerobin2 posted QR codes for a BASIC version of the game over at the Petit Computer Wiki. Ars Technica confirmed that the game is indeed playable after a few minutes spent scanning in codes, though the bird in our version ended up an odd shade of blue for some reason.

The hit detection in the game is admittedly “a little glitchy” according to the creator, and the sound effects sound like a 286 is being mauled by a dying cat. Still, the basic gameplay is all there, despite acknowledgement by the creator that “I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS OR COPYRIGHTS OF ‘Flappy Bird’ AND/OR IT'S RESOURCES. ‘Flappy Bird’ IS OWNED BY .GEAR STUDIOS.” The rest of the Petit Computer Wiki is a treasure trove of homebrew titles of questionable legality, including ports of Minecraft, Smash Bros., Mega Man, and Super Mario Bros. 3, all coded in BASIC and all at various stages of completion.

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Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl